Vehicle.



No. 740,051. v PATENTED SEPT. 29, 1903..

- 1c. SMITH.

VEHICLE. r AP1}LIOA'1IOII FILED JAN. 14, 1903.

Ive. 745,051

UNITED STATES Patented September 29, 1903.

CLEMENT SMITH, OF- TOPEKA, KANSAS.

VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 740,051, datedSeptember 29, 1903.-

\ Application filed January 14, 1903. Serial No. 139,056. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLEMENT SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Topeka, in the county ot' Shawnee and State of Kansas, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Vehicles, of which. thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to motor-vehicles, and has for its object toprovide braces calculated to render it practical to interpose ellipticsprings between the heavy bodies of such vehicles and the front axlesthereof, this being advantageous because such springs are cheap and addbut little to the cost of a vehicle.

With the foregoing in mind the invention will be fully understood fromthe following description and claims when taken in connec tion with theaccompanying drawings, in

. which Figure 1 is a broken view, partly in side elevation and partlyin section, of so much of a vehicle as is necessary to illustrate myinvention; Fig. 2, a broken section taken in the plane indicated by theline 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig.

8, an enlarged detail broken perspective View.

illustrating the manner in which I prefer to connect the draft-rod of myimproved brace sponding parts in all of the views of the draw-,

ings.

front axle thereof 0 O, elliptic springs, disposed longitudinally of thevehicle and interposed between and connected tothe body and the axle,and D D my improved springbraces, of which two are employed, one inconjunction with each spring. The braces are similar in construction,and therefore a detailed description of the one shown in Fig. 1 willsuffice to impart an understanding of both. Said brace comprises an arma, preferably of steel or Norway iron, fixedly con-' nected to the bodyA, preferably at a point above the axle B, and extending downwardly A isthe body'ofamotor-vehicle; B, the" from said body and longitudinally ofthe vehicle and forwardly to a point in a horizontal planeslightly abovethat of the axle B and a socket f, carried by the axle B. Saidrod may beformed in one piece without involving a departure from the scope of myinvention, although I prefer to have it comprise two sections providedwith screw-threads and connected by athreaded union 9, as shownthis inorder that it may be readily adjusted as to length and more readilysecured between the axle B and arm a and removed therefrom, also topermit of wear between the. rod and the axle andarm a being taken up,with a view of preventing rattling. A plain rod hinged to the axle andthe arm a, may be employed with good results. 7.

In virtue of the provision of my improved .braces in conjunction withelliptic springs interposed between a vehicle-bodyand front axle it willbe observed that the body is free to move up and down on the springs andtilt both laterally and longitudinally, and yet is securely held againstendwise movement with respect to the axlet'. e., is prevented frompitching'either backward or forward. From this it follows that withoutin any way interfering with the efficiency of the springs O the braces Dserve to pull the front axle, thereby avoiding the use of a reach.between the rear and front axles and at the same time avoid the pullingof the front axle by the springs. This latter is an important advantage,since when the front axle is pulled by the springs the wear and tear onthe springs is greatly increased, and they are liable to break and causedamage. It will also be observed that the braces serve animportantfunction incident to backing of the vehicle-2'. e., the arms athrust the rods 6 against the front axle, and thereby prevent the bodyfrom pulling longitudinally on the springs. In virtue of the IOO arms aof my improved braces being connected to the body and extendingdownwardly and longitudinally from the points of connection it will beobserved that the thrust which the body exerts against the said arms isin the direction of thelength of the latter, and hence theretis noliability of the arms being broken in practice.

While my improved braces are designed more particularly for use inconjunction with elliptic springs with a view of rendering practical theemployment of such springs between heavy vehicle-bodies and axles,Idesire it distinctly understood that the braces may,when deemedadvantageous,be used in conjunction with springs of anykind withoutinvolving a departure from the scope of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. In a motor-vehicle, the combination of a front axle, a body, one ormore springs interposed between and connected to the axle and the body,arms fixedly connected to the body, and extending downwardly andlongitudinally forward therefrom to a point in front of and in about thesame horizontal plane as the axle, and longitudinal draft-rodsinterposed between and connected to the axle and the lower ends of thearms.

2. In a motor-vehicle, the combination of a front axle, a body,longitudinal, springs interposed between and connected to the axle andthe body, arms fixedly connected to the body, and extending downwardlyand longitudinally forward therefrom to a. point in front of and inabout the same horizontal plane as the axle, longitudinal draft-rodsinterposed between the axle and the lower ends of the arms,ball-and-socket connections between said rods and the axle, andball-andsocket connections between the lower ends of the arms and therods.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CLEMENT SMITH.

Witnesses:

GEo. E. STOVER, L. H. GREENWOOD.

